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Table 1 Demographics of patients with acute bacterial meningitis according to age group*

From: The spectrum of acute bacterial meningitis in elderly patients

 

Group I (non-elderly)

Group II (elderly)

RR (95% CI)

P value

 

N = 427

N = 208

  

Age (yrs)

32.0 (22.0–54.0)

74.0 (68.0–78.0)

----

< 0.0001

15–24 yrs (%)

134 (31.4)

----

----

----

25–34 yrs (%)

59 (13.8)

----

----

----

35–44 yrs. (%)

60 (14.0)

----

----

----

45–54 yrs (%)

77 (18.0)

----

----

----

55–64 yrs (%)

97 (22.7)

----

----

----

≥ 65 yrs (%)

----

208 (100)

----

----

Male (%)

205 (48.0)

99 (47.6)

0.99 (0.79–1.24)

0.9895

Co-morbidity (%)

168 (39.3)

148 (71.1)

2.49 (1.93–3.22)

< 0.0001

Cancer† (%)

46 (10.8)

40 (19.2)

1.52 (1.17–1.97)

0.0051

Alcohol abuse (%)

43 (10.1)

21 (7.1)

1.00 (0.69–1.45)

0.8963

Liver cirrhosis (%)

15 (3.5)

8 (3.8)

1.06 (0.60–1.88)

0.9878

Diabetes mellitus (%)

35 (8.2)

46 (22.1)

1.94 (1.54–2.44)

< 0.0001

Chronic lung disease‡ (%)

11 (2.6)

25 (12.0)

2.27 (1.27–2.91)

< 0.0001

Chronic cardiovascular disease§ (%)

15 (3.5)

59 (28.6)

3.00 (2.51–3.59)

< 0.0001

Chronic renal failure (%)

17 (4.0)

21 (10.1)

1.76 (1.29–2.40)

0.0041

Chronic debilitating diseases¶ (%)

8 (1.9)

17 (8.2)

2.17 (1.62–2.91)

0.0003

Immunosuppressionll (%)

60 (14.0)

42 (20.2)

1.36 (1.04–1.77)

0.0428

Charlson Index ≥ 1

134 (31.4)

136 (65.4)

2.55 (2.00–3.24)

< 0.0001

0 (%)

283 (68.6)

72 (34.6)

0.42 (0.33–0.53)

< 0.0001

1–2 (%)

87 (20.4)

80 (38.5)

1.75 (1.41–2.17)

< 0.0001

3–4 (%)

22 (5.1)

42 (20.2)

2.26 (1.81–2.81)

< 0.0001

≥ 5 (%)

25 (5.8)

14 (5.7)

1.10 (0.71–1.70)

0.7984

Nosocomial acquisition (%)

14 (3.3)

11 (5.3)

1.36 (0.86–2.15)

0.3149

Recurrent meningitis (%)

18 (4.2)

10 (4.8)

1.09 (0.66–1.82)

0.8924

  1. Values expressed as median and interquartile range unless otherwise specified.*Patients may have more than a co-morbid condition. † includes: Solid (53): brain (9), lung (6), breast (6), cavum (6), prostate (4), colon (3), endometrium (2), pharynx (2), ovarian (2), urinary bladder (2), pleural mesothelioma (2), skin (2), testes (1), endometrial (1), cervix (1), sphenoidal sinus (1), oesophagus (1), gastric (1), and vagina (1), and haematological (33) cancers: multiple myeloma (8), Hodgkin’s lymphoma (3), non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (6), acute leukemias (8), chronic leukemias (7), and Waldenström disease (1). ‡ Includes: chronic bronchitis (28), asthma (4), idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (2), other pneumopathies (2) § Includes: arterial hypertension (40), coronary heart disease (18), congestive heart failure (15), valvular disease (8), chronic arrythmias (3), and Buerguer ‘s disease (1). ¶Include: prior stroke (9), senile dementia (7), hyperthyroidism (3), hypothyroidism (2), cerebral palsy (2), chronic hydrocephalus (2), amyloidosis (1). llIncludes: antineoplastic chemotherapy (49), hypogammaglobulinemia (22), chronic corticosteroid therapy (21), AIDS (6), splenectomy (6), hypocomplementemia (5), neutropenia (4), and radiotherapy (4).